1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to a method and apparatus for milling a thin automobile transmission control valve body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention relates to the milling of a thin, lightweight, and therefore fragile, automobile valve body. This fragile body is thinner than most production automobile automatic transmission control valve bodies.
Automobile valve bodies may have an irregular shape. Usually, one or more surfaces are machined to have a flat surface.
In the past, this has been done primarily by a grinding method in which the surface of the workpiece is ground away. This method is less consistent than high speed diamond milling.
Because of the fragile nature of this workpiece, special supports and arrangements must be used in order to properly mill the surface. The irregular shape of the workpiece creates special problems that are in addition to those created by the part's lack of stiffness.
To applicants' knowledge, the prior art does not disclose a satisfactory method or apparatus for milling a thin, lightweight, fragile automobile transmission valve body. The prior art discloses support apparatus and methods for milling irregularly shaped objects such as an engine block (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,089). The combination of vibration dampeners, locating pin supports, and the hydraulic operation of clamps used while milling automobile transmission valve bodies of this type is not disclosed in the prior art.